Bird Late Goal Guides No. 9 Field Hockey to 2-1 Win at Delaware

An Amanda Bird goal in the 63rd minute lifted the No. 9 Princeton field hockey team to a 2-1 victory over Delaware on the road Sunday afternoon. With the win, the Tigers improve to 7-4 on the year.

On their second shot 11 minutes into the game, Michelle Cesan provided the Tigers with a 1-0 advantage. The senior midfielder took the ball in the circle and sent in the go-ahead goal off a backhand shot.

Princeton was unable to add to its lead before halftime, only tallying three more shots before the break.

Delaware capitalized on a rebound in the 42nd minute to equalize things, 1-1. Clare O’Malley picked up Michaela Patzner’s blocked shot on her knees to break up Princeton’s shutout.

On its fifth penalty corner, Princeton struck again to retake the lead for good. At 62:32, Julia Reinprecht fed in the ball to Cesan and Bird was there with a perfect finish to score her first goal of the year.

Both sides finished with 10 shots apiece and Princeton held a 6-5 penalty corner advantage. Anya Gersoff tallied five saves to improve to 5-3 on the year in the cage.

The Tigers resume league play next weekend, taking on Brown on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 12 noon. Princeton will look to extend its Ivy winning ways and improve on its perfect 3-0 record.